Next door neighbor company, that has employees doing security for them, has offered to have their employees do security 24/7 for our Florida HOA, operating under Ch 720, for a cost. Does a Florida company offering security personnel have to be licensed to do so in Florida ? We are concerned about potential liability issues. We already know that the actual persons performing the security have to be licensed.

SheliaH(Indiana)

Posts:2083

08/09/2017 7:58 PM

Check with your city or county.

As for the liability issues, you may want to discuss that with your association's master insurance carrier to see what type of issues are out there and whether your association can afford extra coverage (which will mean assessments will have to increase).

TimB4(Virginia)

Posts:15235

08/09/2017 8:20 PM

A Better question would be: Should an Association provide security or not? A followup question would be: What liability issues does an Association incur if they have security?

Tim, thanks for those links. The first one, "Top Ten Security Mistakes..." should be taken with a huge grain of salt in my opinion. It reads more like a sales pitch with copious amounts of fear thrown in for good measuure, e.g. "Security is no longer an amenity but a legal necessity." Still, it does contain some good information.

We have a guard house at our entrance and exit gates. The original developer originally must have contemplated having it manned, but it has never been so. Its main use is its tiny bathroom that the landscaping contractor's employees use when they're here. We are considering tearing it down when the time comes in the next few years to replace our automatic entrance/exit gates. We insure it, we maintain it, we landscape around it, part of our reserves are for it, and it does nothing for us. Some have suggested that just the possibility that there might be someone in there acts as a deterrent to would-be burglars. Our insurance agent doesn't think so.

DouglasM6(Arizona)

Posts:582

09/08/2017 9:38 AM

Posted By GenoS on 08/10/2017 1:49 PMTim, thanks for those links. The first one, "Top Ten Security Mistakes..." should be taken with a huge grain of salt in my opinion. It reads more like a sales pitch with copious amounts of fear thrown in for good measuure, e.g. "Security is no longer an amenity but a legal necessity." Still, it does contain some good information.

We have a guard house at our entrance and exit gates. The original developer originally must have contemplated having it manned, but it has never been so. Its main use is its tiny bathroom that the landscaping contractor's employees use when they're here. We are considering tearing it down when the time comes in the next few years to replace our automatic entrance/exit gates. We insure it, we maintain it, we landscape around it, part of our reserves are for it, and it does nothing for us. Some have suggested that just the possibility that there might be someone in there acts as a deterrent to would-be burglars. Our insurance agent doesn't think so.

Just like the DPS parking an empty unit along side the interstate highway. It does work. In your situation, I would consider tinting the windows and installing motion sensing lights on the outside. It's true it won't stop all on them, but may turn many away.

The only people that know it's unmanned are the residents and the landscapers.....

JanetB2(Colorado)

Posts:3767

09/08/2017 10:55 AM

Posted By TimB4 on 08/09/2017 8:20 PMA Better question would be: Should an Association provide security or not? A followup question would be: What liability issues does an Association incur if they have security?

Also the question ... Should the HOA hire a homeowner's company to provide the security? If they do not properly perform and have to be FIRED in the future it will cause a division among the homeowners. Some of the neighbors might end up angry because you replaced their "friend" with someone else and will go on a lets recall the BOD war path. I DO NOT recommend hiring local neighbors to perform work in the HOA because it can end up dividing an HOA.

MelissaP1(Alabama)

Posts:7003

09/08/2017 3:30 PM

When I became President, the lawncare person was a HOA member with his own lawncare company. He and the former President were friends. I believe he even bought his pot from him. Many members did not like how lawncare was being done. So I created the rule of 3 bids on every contract. Went out and got competing bids. The lawncare guy lost due to his bid and his past work performance. Just like any other contractor would/could.

Found that if you institute the 3 bid, licensed and insured rule it relieves some of the disgruntle feelings. Because a real professional company knows and understands that they have competitors. IF they act any other way, then your making the right decision of relieving them of duties.

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